Add the word ‘grand’ to a cruise line itinerary and we expect an extraordinary travel experience.  Viking River Cruises Grand European Tour is a wonderful example, profiled here not long ago.  Sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam for 15-days, we experienced nearly all the places on the itineraries of all shorter river sailings on all cruise lines over the same stretch of rivers.  It was a simply enchanting time for us and a lifetime quality travel experience we will never forget.

Now, what if a similarly-focused itinerary were possible in the Mediterranean?  One that covers all the ports of call we might see by taking a number of shorter cruises?  For those with the time, a ‘grand’ version of the Mediterranean would be an efficient way to see a lot of places.  Actually, several cruise lines have those. But one just announced a Grand Med itinerary that is quite out of the ordinary.

Those on Windstar’s 51-day Grand Mediterranean Voyage aboard 310-passenger Wind Surf will know all about, if not further define, Windstar’s 180° From Ordinary travel lifestyle. On July 7, 2019, Windstar travelers will board in Europe’s Westernmost port of Lisbon, Portugal.  From Lisbon, the 51-day Windstar Grand Mediterranean journey, a Windstar exclusive Star Collector Voyage, will visit the best ports in central Europe while sailing across the culturally-rich Mediterranean. Over nearly two months, the interesting itinerary will take tiny 14,745-ton Wind Surf to all the popular ports plus hidden harbors in Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Malta and Ital. Places that other ships can not get close to. Sailing on Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey it is not more of the same but landings at places other cruise lines have never been to. The intense itinerary then doubles back for more cultural understanding in Monaco and France before ending in Barcelona on August 27, 2018.

That all adds up to eight weeks of once-in-a-lifetime discovery spanning nearly 9,500 miles…might as well make it nearly 10,000 miles. It is one long itinerary. But here is why this will be more than checking off boxes as the itinerary visits a whole bunch of places.

“We believe that no one goes further to get our guests closer to the destinations where we sail. An incredible cruise like our 51-day Grand Mediterranean cruise on a sailing ship is exactly what people who love to travel live for.” said Windstar President John Delaney.  Agreed.

After the 2018 Windstar President’s Cruise, I’m sold. Sailing from Singapore to Hong Kong should be plenty of experience for anyone, even those who have been before.  And it was.  But a move made by Windstar Cruises during that particular sailing has very quietly redefined the relationship between a cruise line, crew and passengers.  A lot of good stuff came of that.  I’ll come back to that shortly.  First, some initial, additional details of the Windstar Cruises 51-day Windstar Grand Mediterranean Voyage:

• Wind Surf looks to be the right tool for the job as the world’s largest sailing ship. By the numbers: a tiny 14,745 gross tons, 617 feet in length, 26,881 square feet of crisp new sails soaring 220 feet skyward.
• Comparative Category: A high-season comprehensive Mediterranean voyage. (Don’t bother, I already googled it- this is THE one\
• Gliding into impossibly quaint harbors is just one unique part of sailing on a ship with sails. You will never say “time to set sail” on a ship without them again. Ever.
• Windstar’s Shorex Prowess– a curated collection of shore excursions- Go custom or go home
• Windstar’s Open Bridge Policy invites passengers to share nautical charts and marine weather reports. We just wandered in from time to time. No big deal.
• Water Sports Platform will be the place to dive into the Mediterranean or play with complimentary water toys, stand-up paddle boards and water skis.

Windstar’s popular Star Collectors Voyages combine shorter sailings and include a complimentary laundry package for each stateroom and suite throughout the cruise. The two month Grand Mediterranean cruise on Wind Surf covers what six other Windstar cruise itineraries do, each seven to ten days in length. Those too can be booked as segments.

Now, back briefly to that 2018 Windstar President’s Cruise.  The icing on the cake there and one tasty element we hope will weave its way through the cruise industry in the future: Windstar Family Day in Manila. This was actually a two-day affair that took place during as many days in Manila.  Day one brought families of Filipino crew on board to see exactly where it was that their husband, wife, son, daughter, bother or sister went when they sailed off to work at sea for months at a time.

Stop right there and we have a win for anyone who ever appreciated the work of any crew on any ship.  This was unique.  But just the beginning.

The second day in Manila saw crew and family honored by Windstar Cruises at a dockside gala in their honor.  This is really good stuff. This is what we look for here: the soul of an organization. It’s what will guide their future decisions and where their head will be at as travel evolves over time.  The soul of a company is consistent.  Long time crew and past guests of any cruise line know this to be true. There will  be ups and downs along the way. That’s just part of the lifecycle of any business.  But that soul is the filter they apply to everything, whatever comes their way.   This element of cruise line operation is especially important to those on very long voyages.  Windstar has this locked down tight.

On the horizon:  51 days of dinner menus alone should be a story here somewhere along the line.  Stay tuned.

Learn More: To learn more about the 51-day Grand Mediterranean Star Collector Voyage, Windstar’s partnership as the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation, and authentic small ship cruising with Windstar, contact a travel professional or Windstar Cruises by phone at 877-958-7718, email info@windstarcruises.com or visit www.windstarcruises.com.

A Peek At The Itinerary

See the full itinerary here